Squid are fascinating creatures. Perfected by millions of years of evolution these aquatic cephalopods are perfectly designed little fish killers. Equipped with advanced sensory organs and a powerful water-jet propulsion system squid are the bane of their prey. They can also camouflage themselves making them invisible to other denizens of the deep. Lurking unseen, the squid’s powerful tentacles lash out and grab helpless fish and draw them into its ravenous maw.
There are over 300 species of squid, and from from the Kraken to Cthulhu tentacled creatures have long inspired dread in the human imagination. (Except for Squiddly-Diddly who actually seemed more like a friendly octopus.) But squid themselves are also prey to a wide range of creatures, and when the predator is human the squid becomes calamari. You can eat nearly every part of these tasty mollusks except the chitinous gladius and the beak. (Get them fresh from your local fish market and ask that they be thoroughly cleaned.)
A more healthy alternative to fried calamari is to make them in a salad. Starting with this recipe on Cooks.com I chopped up a pound and a half of the rubbery fellas. Then I boiled them for 5 minutes, rinsed them, and put them in the fridge to chill. Meanwhile in a bowl I added chopped celery, red onion, parsley, capers, lemon, olive oil, garlic, oregano, (and my own touch) chick peas and pepperoni, then tossed in the chilled squid.
As I speared the little suckers with my fork and popped them in my mouth I contemplated what strange things they'd seen in their brief lives in the deep before they wound up on my plate. Imagine!